Trailer hitches for coupling a towing vehicle to a trailer or towed vehicle are well known. Standard trailer hitches attached to towing vehicles commonly include a ball mounted on a tow bar for connection with a socket on the tongue of a trailer. Coupling of the ball and socket requires the driver of the vehicle to rearwardly maneuver the vehicle until the ball of the trailer hitch is vertically aligned with the socket of the trailer tongue. Without assistance, the driver typically has difficulty maneuvering the ball into position for engagement with the socket since the ball and socket are outside the driver's field of vision. Even with assistance, alignment of the trailer hitch components may be a frustrating and time consuming task.
Various types of telescoping and pivoting trailer hitches, referred to as articulating trailer hitches, have been proposed to allow coupling between misaligned vehicles. Even these types of trailer hitches can be difficult to align with a stationary trailer because the trailer hitch on the towing vehicle and the trailer tongue coupler typically are out of sight of the driver of the towing vehicle.
The most conventional remedy to the alignment problem is to have a second person instructing a driver how to maneuver the towing vehicle. However, another person may not always be available to assist a driver of a towing vehicle. In addition, there is no standard “language” that easily communicates directional information to the driver of a towing vehicle.
A variety of alignment devices have been proposed, including devices mounted on both a trailer and on a trailer hitch that elevate an indicator of position of the trailer hitch and trailer tongue into the driver's field of view. Unfortunately, these devices can be inaccurate, prone to falling off, and typically must be removed prior to towing.
Camera systems have been deployed to display to the driver the area behind a towing vehicle. Unfortunately, cameras may be obscured by inclement weather, mud, and other obstructions. In addition, the displays provided by conventional camera systems may not provide a view that is intuitive as a guide to a driver as to which way to steer the towing vehicle to effect alignment. Moreover, these camera systems can be expensive.